Connecticut Chapters of Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Governor Ned Lamont’s Bold Move to Stop the Spread of DIY Machine Guns

HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements applauding Governor Ned Lamont’s introduction of legislation (HB 5043) which would prohibit the future sale to civilians of semi-automatic handguns that can be easily converted into fully automatic machine guns with the installation of a “switch” or auto sear. 

For years, it has been an open secret in the gun industry that certain manufacturers utilize semi-automatic pistol designs that are uniquely susceptible to being converted into illegal machine guns with common household tools and a $25 switch. This new legislation is imperative in order to protect the public from handgun models that are easily converted to illegal machine guns. These models are easily modified into fully automatic weapons capable of firing at a rate of up to 1,200 rounds per minute or 20 rounds per second. With this measure, Connecticut is sending a clear message: if you refuse to take reasonable, common-sense steps to change the configuration of these pistols, you will no longer profit from the Connecticut market. 

More than 11,000 auto sears or machine gun conversion devices were recovered and traced between 2019 and 2023—a 784 percent increase from 2019 to 2023. Thirty-one were recovered and traced in Connecticut in 2023.

“No family should have to fear that their children will come face-to-face with a machine gun in our parks, schools, or neighborhoods,” said Joanna Taczanowsky, a volunteer with the Connecticut chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Machine guns have been illegal for decades, yet certain manufacturers continue to sell pistols that they know can be turned into weapons of war with a $25 piece of plastic. By introducing this bill, Governor Lamont is telling the gun industry that if they refuse to fix these dangerous designs, they will no longer profit at the expense of our children’s lives. It’s time to put our families’ safety over corporate bottom lines.”

“For my generation, the threat of gun violence is constantly evolving, but the gun industry’s refusal to act remains the same,” said Audrey Nichols, a volunteer with the Connecticut chapter of Students Demand Action. “We shouldn’t have to live in fear of DIY machine guns because a few companies choose to sell pistols that are easy to modify. This bill is a clear signal that Connecticut won’t wait for another tragedy to address this deadly issue of easy convertibility in their handguns.” 

Governor Lamont’s move to stop the spread of DIY machine guns builds on a bipartisan national movement to hold the gun industry accountable for dangerous design choices. The demand for these life-saving laws continues to grow across the country; in 2025, red and blue states alike recognized the urgent need to get these devices off our streets, with Alabama and Mississippi enacting state-level bans on machine gun conversion devices. Connecticut is now poised to join California in taking the next logical step: stopping the sale of the convertible pistols that make these illegal modifications possible in the first place.

What the Bill Does

• Stops the sale of convertible pistols, requiring future handgun models sold in Connecticut to be designed so they cannot easily accept a machine gun conversion device.
• Creates a basic safety standard for manufacturers. If a handgun can be easily converted into a machine gun, it cannot be sold to civilians in Connecticut.
• Targets a sizable danger for civilians and law enforcement. Pistols converted into machine guns increase the deadliness and harm caused by shootings, and preventing the future sale of these dangerous pistols protects bystanders and law enforcement. 

What the Bill Does Not Do

• Does NOT ban guns or require anyone to give up the firearms they own. 
• Does NOT affect law enforcement or the military. Sales for official duties are exempt.

Connecticut now has the chance to hold gun manufacturers accountable, reduce the flow of illegal automatic weapons into communities, and protect law enforcement and families statewide by requiring gunmakers to meet a basic, common sense safety standard.

To speak with a policy expert or local volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action about this bill, contact [email protected].